EXCLUSIVE: The chilling effect of the Sony Pictures hack and terrorist threats against The Interview are reverberating. New Regency has scrapped another project that was to be set in North Korea. The untitled thriller, set up in October, was being developed by director Gore Verbinski as a star vehicle for Foxcatcher star Steve Carell. The paranoid thriller written by Steve Conrad was going to start production in March. Insiders tell me that under the current circumstances, it just makes no sense to move forward. The location won’t be transplanted. Fox declined to distribute it, per a spokesman.
Regency has other movies with Verbinski as part of a multiyear, multipicture deal, and they will focus on them. He moves on to A Cure For Wellness, an elevated horror film written by Revolutionary Road scribe Justin Haythe, and Passengers. There also is a large-scale action comedy scripted by Conrad. The plan was to make three films in quick succession. Now they will make two that way.
Brutal! Don’t say nothing about the communists, they will drive you into the ground. Thanks Obama
Yeah, Obama cancelled the movie.
Back to your bunker, douchebag.
Behold the idiocy that’s made all of this possible.
It’s right in the bathroom mirror in your halfway house.
Good one😊
Obama is a GREAT president. He’s not a socialist, from Kenya, gay, responsible for Benghazi, or any of the other wacko theories the reich wing has tried to pin on him. Except for low gas prices… you can thank him for that!
Kensy6. And don’t forget the lowest labor participation rate in over 40 years. The fool Obama had exactly nothing to do with low gas prices. Nothing. That was all about private investment in energy on privately owned land. He’s done everything he can to reduce the supply of oil. He’s not great. In fact President 9-iron is the most divisive, ineffective, and laziest president we’ve had in over a century. And nice straw man arguments. Just imagine if you liberals had to actually come up with an argument against something conservatives actually believe. You’d be screwed. You’re welcome. Next.
Lt. Col Rick:
You said,
“President 9-iron is the most divisive, ineffective, and laziest president we’ve had in over a century.”
Really? That quote alone screams racism.
Yeah blame Obama! He’s from North Korea.
No, he’s from Kenya – don’t you listen to the one news source that dares to tell the truth, Fox News>
Fox so-called News is nothing BUT lies and propaganda. And funny thing about Faux News viewers… a university study actually found that people who watch no news at all know more about current events that Faux News viewers know.
Obama allowing our freedom to be silenced. And also, people can voice their opinions without being called a douchebag, douchebag.
Is your comment related to Obama supporting our continuing to do business with communist China (as did GW Bush and just about every president since Nixon?) Or are you speaking of his decision to do business with another Communist country say Russia or now Cuba? What’s the difference to you?
I’m referring to Obamas overall isolationist foreign policy that has turned the US into a cow for communist suckling until they’ve suckled enough and dump their large reserves of US dollars. Then you’ll see what I meant. China alone can topple the US dollar ina single day. Obama knows this that’s why they won’t release who’s behind the cyber attacks
but they did release who did it…
Leave the pull-my-finger politics in the dressing room jocko
Please explain how China could topple the US dollar in a single day without also toppling the yen and themselves.
Dude, you clearly don’t understand how money markets and diplomacy works. China is INVESTED in the USA just like other countries are. If they toppled the USA, they’d ruin themselves and other ‘allies.’ China is a big USA ally (despite being “communist”). Stop living in a Red Scare world.
@Matto Money markets and the US economy R just big words to the DBag, Xenovius and his bigger idiot friend Lt Col. LtCol is such a moron; he post a response to himself! Believe me intelligent well reasoned arguments are far far away from their little brains…
Russia is communist? What year is this?
Calling today’s China communist is like calling the US a true democracy. In name only, not in practice.
I think there is a fairly strong link between Communist Russia in WWII and the today’s Great Firewall of China. Also China is officially a Socialist state so it’s not even by name.
Um, were a republic. Have you ever said the pledge of allegiance or read the constuition.
Is Obama in charge of Sony, now? I thought they were a Japanese company.
Dude must get around.
YOU ARE CONFUSING COMMUNISM WITH DICTATORSHIP.
ALL THE NORWEGIAN COUNTRIES ARE MORE COMMUNIST THAN YOU THINK
There is only one Norwegian country
Norwegian countries? Do you mean Scandinavia?
Is this the end of all controversial films?
Just Seth Rogan movies and that’s not a bad thing.
Probably the laziest, stupidest, most tone-deaf comment ever left in Deadline. Which is really saying something. Kudos.
amen
No, but it’s probably the end of films that intentionally bait countries we are at odds with. Which is probably a good thing. The idea is to try and resolve our differences with other nations, not drive us further apart just to make a couple bucks.
No, it’s not a good thing. This is an attack on free speech, don’t try to sugar-coat it. But I guess expecting corporations to defend free speech is asking too much.
It’s not an attack on free speech no matter how many times in how many threads you repeat it. Free speech is a right guaranteed by the US Bill of Rights that says the US government cannot restrict speech in the US. Setting aside the fact that it is an American law that has no jurisdiction in other countries (and yes, North Korea is a horrific country and countries that restrict free speech are at their hearts despotic) no government official prevented this film from being written, shot, released, distributed, etc. Free speech means you have the right to state your opinion in the United States. It doesn’t mean your opinion isn’t stupid or that other people don’t have the right to be offended by it.
North Korea, if that is who is behind all this, isn’t trying to shut down this film because they’re trying to restrict free speech (although I’m sure they’d love to). They’re trying to shut it down because it’s a film coming from the world’s only remaining superpower about a bunch of frat boy idiots coming to their country to kill their real-life leader and succeeding in doing so, presumably in hi-larious fashion. That is what we refer to as poking the bear, particularly when that bear is well-known to be exceptionally paranoid and predisposed to violence.
I say F that bear. Especially when that bear is a backwards, stupid and hilariously inept one who couldn’t pose a real threat if it’s life depended on it.
excellent
So well said.
Free speech is alive and well. The Interview isn’t free, it’ll cost ya $10. If folks don’t want to stock it for you, that’s their right.
Individual/company wants to say something. Entity threatens violence if they say it. This is an attack on free speech. Not in the legal sense, but in the practical sense it absolutely is an attack on free speech. They caved due to cowardice. Free speech is not “alive and well” when people can be threatened into silence.
It’s not an attack of free speech. It just isn’t.
“Doctor Zhivago”, ‘Dr. Strangelove”, “The Russians are Coming”, “The Hunt for Red October”, ‘Red Dawn” “Rocky IV” – just off the top of my head – all wouldn’t have been made had Hollywood been terrified of the Soviets. Think about how many movies of that era were dramatizations that included Soviet defectors as the chief protagonists.
The Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution an inalienable right to free speech precisely because they wanted to protect and encourage divisive “baiting” speech. Too bad Hollywood now only remembers this when the antagonists are white, male Christians.
Yes – interesting how all the “bad guys” are now white and have English accents…
Funny, but I didn’t know these guys you are referring to were from England. They’re from the US, so they have American accents!!
well, there’s always nazis I guess..zzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Hoya – Can you tell me a single instance during the time these films were made, distributed and shown in theatres that Russia made an attack on the US in any form or did they threaten to blow up movie theatres if they chose to show those movies? No you did not. why? Because the US had a presence in the world as a super power and a power to be dealt with if anyone dared to show us disrespect of any kind.
And this can be laid right at the feet of Obama. I can name case after case where Obama has caved in to dictators and socialists and terrorist groups. I actually did name those cases in this reply, but this email got way to long and I did not want to take up too much space.
Be ready. Obama has just put all of us at risk and the only way he can gain any respect from me is if he takes immediate action against North Korea to protect Sony’s interest and the jobs they support. Like many have said, he should hold the official showing of the movie at the White House and invite Sony to attend and all of the actors and dare North Korea to do something. Make sure they understand that if anything happens to any American because of their threats, that North Korea would be blown off of the map.
Like Hillary said, we need to empathize with those who would seek to saw our heads off.
Yes.
How do you like it now, gentlemen?!
Why not simply make it more generically Asian? The N. Korean inferences can be built in subtly. Nice move Arnon.
Sure, let’s pussify it and kowtow to terrorists.
Give it the Red Dawn treatment, only in reverse!
If I sit through another awards telecast and listen to millionaire celebrities bleat on and on about the “courage” of Hollywood, I’m going to vomit.
Tinseltown is a lot of things, but courageous isn’t one of them.
I’ll stand behind anonymity, obvious irony, and casually admit being left of center. But you know what: I totally agree with hoya’s comment. The cowardice, behavior and actions of the Hollywood system, its theater adjuncts, and news media is appalling and rightly disdained. The fact that stock prices are rising on the news of this collective cowardice is downright disgusting.
Proving zealots right, whether internationally-based or from prattling domestic pundits, is more than embarrassing. Here’s hoping that the serial self-aggrandizement that comes during this season is limited to applauding the creative side and not how it represents anything more at all. Because it’s clearly complete BS.
You need to separate the liberalism of individuals in Hollywood from the deep conservatism of the industry in the macro sense.
Only films about N. Korea and Mohammed.
Wow oh wow. Now terrorists are dictating Hollywood on which movie to do or not!! What kind of a world is this turning into? Keeping at each others throat like that is not good for anyone. In the immortal words (song) of Tevye: Where does it stop? Where does it stop?
This is insane, I had no idea we were so gutless
Don’t say “we.” I wanted to see this in the theater despite having no interest in the movie per se. Not my kind of thing. Sony and the theater owners are gutless.
You’re letting the terrorists win, Hollywood
what is gutless about preventing people from harm?
Ir’s gutless not to defend free speech. And Sony & the theater owners don’t really care about preventing harm to people. They care about not getting sued.
Are you typing too fast to think, or do you honestly, truly think the people at Sony wouldn’t care if people were hurt?
Either way, you’re stupid.
Where is the White House on this whole Sony hacking thing? Or the American media? Honestly. this is a major act of cyber terrorism against an American company and the only thing the media is focused on are the juicy “gotcha” emails about celebrities. Incredible.
American company? Isn’t Sony based in Japan?
Sony Pictures is based in Los Angeles and employs thousands of American citizens. You know that, right?
Sony Pictures is an American subsidiary of a Japanese parent.
Think about if something similar happened to GM-Canada and Stephen Harper didn’t have anything to say about it. Would that be a good thing? No, it wouldn’t.
yes it is.
Seriously? it’s been all over the news.
Yes, the focus of media coverage has been on the “juicy” emails trashing celebrities. Journalism is dead
That really sucks. Verbinski is a hack, but Carrell is legit and whether this would have been good or not, it sucks its cancelled for these reasons. Too bad GOP can’t threat Transformers and get that franchise derailed!
I would have loved to see this movie! Carell is definitely legit & it’s nice to know that he’s being given meaty roles and not having to back to ‘Burt Wonderstone’ types of movies.
As bad as this is, there is a silver lining: studios will think twice before casting James Franco and Seth Rogen in anything, ever again.
If only Jonah Hill and Jason Segel were in this movie.
“Is this the end of all controversial films?” Maybe just films that feature the assassination of a sitting world leader. As evil and repugnant as the Kim Family that runs North Korea is, featuring such an act in a major studio Hollywood film is pretty stupid, if you ask me. (And I believe it’s unprecedented.)
And you’ve just got to love the whole “Go see this movie or the terrorists win” argument that’s going around. Ha ha, nice try to rally folks to go out and support a Seth Rogan/James Franco movie. I’d much rather the terrorists “win” this one.
Team America World Police also featured a plot involving killing a sitting NK leader. And it was awesome.
Deep thought! Thanks for cotnuibrting.
let’s all be honest. this is a lose-lose situation.
If Sony had allowed this to be shown, the theaters not pulled it and something did happen… well then there would be cries of “just another corporation going for greed over safety.”
and then when they do pull it, we get the “Sony is gutless” crowd.
Can we set the the next “Transformers” movie in NK so it, too, will be canceled? Or, how about “Dumb & Dumber 3”?
Color me shocked! Hollywood is run by a bunch of wimps! *gasp*
Time to reap what they sow. For a few years now it’s been all about making threats of one sort or another in order to shut down a business until someone is fired, loses their income & career, is publicly humiliated, then forced to apologize tearfully.
Too bad Hollywood and their ilk didn’t care about that sort of hijacking/terror tactic when it was directed at people they didn’t like. It will ALWAYS end up coming for you too.
It’s monumentally stupid that this is happening. But I’m not surprised. The entire ideology of Hollywood and their “right to never be offended or upset” is coming home to roost.
And I also disagree with theaters refusing to show the Seth Rogan movie, but I can understand why they would, in this overly litigious society.
Good to know people died so others can cower and give in to terrorism. I mean, it’s not like we fought for our freedom or anything.
we didn’t fight for our freedom we fought for more money to the 1% dipshit.
Boycott all movie theaters until they show “the Interview.” No movie goers will eventually bring the gutless cowards around.
Thank God!! I don’t have to suffer through watching Michael Scott in another feature!! Does anyone else get that Micael Scott, sorry, Steve Carell is a 1 note actor with the depth of a bird bath? I mean, really, he got his lucky break at 41 or 42 yrs old on theOffice and surprise it was a hit! 40yr Old Virgin was gold as well, but just because someone is a “nice guy” please Hollywood, can’t you groom and cast real actors anymore? Look, there’s Michael Scoot with a crap load of academy award winning prosthetics playing his type, elitist, east coast snob, hey look, there’s Michael Scott with a real full beard and gauze on his wrist playing a suicidal gay character, wow, what range! Please no more just insert Steve Carell here movies!!
Jealousy is a stinky cologne my friend
If Iran or another of our “enemies” had made a movie where Obama or Bush is assasinated, our collective heads would’ve exploded. This is qwhat happens when a company is so desperate they’ll let morons make a movie that never should’ve been made.
I for one, wouldn’t care less if they made a movie about killing our president. We ourselves have made movies where the President has been assassinated, and ones where we completely made fun of them as well.
Or imagine if this film had been about killing a Jewish leader, or African American, or a gay icon. I don’t know man, I’m as liberal as they come but I’m getting really tired of the selective attention of the social justice brigade and the call to arms about every damn thing.
The Interview isn’t a Statement, an Ideology or a Way of Life. It’s a product, and an insensitive product about people we happen not to care about being sensitive toward. It’s a product that goes through a pipeline and fights for shelf space. And it lost its shelf space because it lost its value to its seller. Same damn thing that happens to every cancelled TV show. Are NBC cowards for canceling Bad Judge? Did freedom die with Firefly?
That’s it. That’s all. It’s a shame, but keep some perspective on your race to moral superiority. This isn’t Fahrenheit 451.
You just don’t get it ….that’s the problem
Total cowardice. Hang your heads in shame for encouraging this type of bully behavior.
The Steve Carell/Gor Verbinski movie’s working titles are/were “Gregory the Nuisance” aka “Pyongyang”, as released on the Hollywood Stock Exchange on Monday, Dec. 15th.
These immature comments about “kowtowing” to terrorists sound like little boys “putting up their dukes” to the big boy,
playground bully and expecting to win the fight. Do you really want to risk American lives over a stupid movie? We’ve made movies about Russia for years, and they haven’t acted this crazy, although Putin has been close to the edge a few times. You cannot reason with crazy people. You don’t “poke the bear” as one writer said.
He should make an avant-garde film of Un contorting while constipated in outhouses